What to watch for as Stars continue California trip at Ducks

Dallas aims to bounce back after seeing its six-game road point streak snapped Sunday at San Jose

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Dallas Stars will be looking to move on from one of their most disappointing performances of the year -- a 5-2 loss in San Jose on Sunday -- as they square off against a surging Anaheim Ducks team tonight at Honda Center.

Hitchcock juggling Stars' forward lines against Ducks

Benn to play center as Dallas looks to counter Anaheim's strength down the middle

The Dallas Stars kick off a key back-to-back tonight that will see them play two Pacific Division teams in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race and two teams nipping at the Stars' heels in the standings.

The Stars play the Anaheim Ducks tonight at Honda Center and the Los Angeles Kings Thursday at Staples Center. Both teams are just one point behind the Stars, and it's a chance for Dallas to create some separation from both in what is still a very tight race in the West. Both the Ducks and the Kings are playing well and riding three-game winning streaks.

On the Radar: Avoiding the ditch

The formula for the Stars to secure a playoff spot is simple: Just keep winning

The Stars have been a bit of a mixed bag lately. On one hand, they head into Wednesday's contest with six wins in their last eight games. On the other hand, they've suffered two lopsided losses over their last three, and didn't look particularly great in the lone victory. Regardless, the win came over a St. Louis team they had been chasing all season. It featured terrific goaltending, opportunistic scoring, and a last-minute hold that vaulted them into the top three in the Central Division. It certainly wasn't one of their best performances of the year, but it was one of their biggest wins.

Their ability to get it, even at a time when they are not playing their best, has been one of the stories of the Dallas season.

AHL Report: Texas Stars win two of three on weekend road swing

McKenna's shutout and Gurianov's three-point game paces Texas on its trip

The Texas Stars picked up four of six points during a three games in three nights road trip over the weekend. Goaltender Mike McKenna came up big in one of the wins and forward Denis Gurianov tallied three points in the other victory.

Texas improved to 27-19-7 on the season and is in fourth place in the AHL's Pacific Division. The Stars return to Texas for a two-game homestand with Milwaukee this weekend.

Burnside's Power Rankings: No kidding, spoiler 'Yotes on roll

A week from now, the National Hockey League's annual trade deadline will be upon us. How will those deals impact the balance of power around the league? More importantly, how will they effect the Power Rankings?

With that as the backdrop, we welcome the Vegas Golden Knights back to the top spot and give a rare nod of appreciation to the Arizona Coyotes.

Prospect Report: Heiskanen impresses for Finland at Olympics

Hitchcock on the defense prospect: 'For a young guy, he plays a very mature game'

Stars defense prospect Miro Heiskanen has played well in his first three games for Team Finland at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Heiskanen, Dallas' first-round pick (third overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, has no points in the three games, but he's been noticeable with his puck-moving prowess, ability to win puck battles and solid defensive play. He stepped up his offensive game in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Sweden, getting off some good chances and creating others for his teammates.

As Finland pressed for the tying goal late in Sunday's game, Heiskanen was on the ice. He logged 18:37 of ice time on Sunday -- the most he has played at the Olympics.

Slow start dooms Stars in loss to Sharks

A six-game road point streak comes to an end as Dallas falls 5-2 to begin its West Coast trip

The Dallas Stars' three-game California road trip got off to a rough start. The Stars surrendered four first-period goals on their way to a 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Sunday evening.

The Sharks scored on their first shot 27 seconds into the game and then tallied three more goals on their next four shots in building a 4-0 lead by late in the first period. The Sharks pushed the lead to 5-0 in the second.

"I don't know what to say. When you don't check, and you don't want to check against a good team who is ready to play, you get buried," said Stars coach Hitchcock. "When you look at the last three games, we've given up so many scoring chances because we don't want to check. When we get back to that, we'll be a good team again."